This invention relates to a robot operating in accordance with a behavioral schedule and, in particular, it relates to a behavior schedule setting type robot which sets a behavioral schedule by interaction with a user based on inputting of the speech or an image or autonomously without recourse to user inputs. More specifically, it relates to a behavior schedule setting type robot which is able to check for a cause of abnormalities, malfunctions or troubles if such should occur during the period of xe2x80x9cdialogue drivingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cautonomous drivingxe2x80x9d.
A mechanical apparatus for performing movements simulating the movement of the human being using electrical or magnetic operation is termed a xe2x80x9crobotxe2x80x9d. The etymology of the term robot is said to be xe2x80x9cROBOTAxe2x80x9d (slave machine) of the Slavic language. The robots started to be used extensively towards the end of sixtieth. Most of the robots used were industrial robots, such as manipulators or transporting robots, aimed at automating or performing unmanned operations in plant operations.
The standstill type robot, installed and used at a fixed place, such as armed robots, are in operation only in a stationary or local working space such as for assembling or sorting of component parts. On the other hand, the mobile robots are not limited as to working space and are movable on a preset or undefined path in an unrestricted fashion to perform operations to take the place of human operators or to offer variegated services to take the place of the human being, dogs or other living organisms. The legged mobile robots, while being unstable and difficult to control as to its orientation or walking, as compared to crawler or tire type robots, are superior in climbing up and down a ladder or a staircase, in riding over obstacles or walking or running flexibly on leveled or unleveled terrain.
In recent years, researches and development in legged mobile robots, including pet type robots, simulating the bodily mechanism or movements of animals, such as quadruples, e.g., dogs or cats, or so-called humanoid robots, simulating the bodily mechanism or movements of animals erected and walking on feet, such as human being, are progressing, and expectations may be made of practical utilization of these robot types.
One usage of the legged mobile robot is taking the place of human operators in a variety of difficult operations in industrial and productive activities, such as, for example, taking the place of the human operators in maintenance operations in nuclear power plants, thermal power generation plants or in petrochemical plants, transport and assembly operations in manufacturing plants, cleaning in high-rise buildings or rescue on the sites of conflagration.
Another usage of the legged mobile robot is the living coherent type usage, rather than the aforementioned operation substitution type usage, that is the usage for xe2x80x9cco-livingxe2x80x9d with the human being. This type of the robot emulates the behavioral mechanism or the feeling expression of the animal of a higher intellect, walking on legs, such as human being or dogs kept as pets. This type of the robot is also required not only to implement previously input behavior patterns faithfully, but also to realize expressions vivid actions responsive to the speech or demeanor of the user, such as praising, scolding, or hitting.
The conventional toy machines are fixed as to the relation between a user operation and a responsive operation, such that the movement of a toy cannot be changed to the user""s liking. The result is that the user is tired of the toy, doing nothing but repeating the same operations, sooner or later.
Conversely, an intelligent robot implements intellectual operations, in accordance with a chronological model of the operation generation, in addition to doing autonomous thinking control and autonomous control of actions. Moreover, the robot, equipped with an image inputting device or a speech input/output device and doing image or speech processing, is able to perform the realistic communication with the human being at a higher intellectual level. The intelligent robot is responsive to detection of a stimulus from outside, such as user actuation, to change the chronological model. That is, by affording the xe2x80x9clearning effectxe2x80x9d such a behavior pattern may be provided which is adapted to the taste of the user and hence is not tiresome to the user. Moreover, the user is able to enjoy a sort of the inculcation simulation with a game feeling.
In the case of a robot dedicated to a special industrial usage, it is sufficient if the user or the operator inputs a command for implementation which can be interpreted subsequent unequivocally. This is analogous to the faithful responsive operation of an information processing equipment to a console input of a unique command, such as file copying or deletion, or file opening.
On the other hand, the co-living or entertainment type robot is able to implement xe2x80x9cdialogue drivingxe2x80x9d in which the robot operates on the basis not only of a definitive or unequivocal command from the user but also on more abstract input data, such as speech or image, and xe2x80x9cautonomous drivingxe2x80x9d in which the user operates in accordance with the behavior schedule set by no other than the robot, without recourse to the command from or dialog with the user, that is independently of the user.
However, the higher the degree of freedom in actions or functionality of the robot, such as by causing the robot to interpret abstract user inputs or thinking control proper to the robot, the more difficult it becomes to search into the cause of malfunctions or troubles if such are produced.
In routine machines or apparatus, the response of the apparatus to an input command is subsequent in a one-for-one correspondence, so that it can be determined readily which command input or implemented has caused an abnormality in the apparatus.
Conversely, with the aforementioned xe2x80x9cdialogue drivingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cautonomous drivingxe2x80x9d type robot, in which there is permitted a certain latitude in the interpretation on the part of the robot of the user input or external events, it is difficult to locate the cause of the abnormality or malfunctions. Additionally, since the legged mobile robot can walk in an arbitrary working space without following a fixed route, the user is unable to monitor the robot at all times. Therefore, if, as the robot is put outside the monitoring range by the user, there has occurred a malfunction, or the robot has become involved in troubles or accidents, the user will find it extremely difficult to search what has happened to the robot.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a behavior scheduling type robot that is able to set a behavioral schedule by a dialog with a user based on an input such as speech or image, or that is able to autonomously set a behavioral schedule without recourse to a user input.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a behavior scheduling type robot that is able to search into a cause of abnormalities, malfunctions or troubles in which the robot is involved during xe2x80x9cdialog drivingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cautonomous drivingxe2x80x9d.
For accomplishing the above object, the present invention provides a controlling apparatus for a robot of the type formed by a plurality of joint actuators and operating in accordance with a behavioral schedule, including a behavior scheduling unit for setting a robot""s behavioral schedule, an operation controller for implementing an operational pattern corresponding to the behavioral schedule as determined by the behavior scheduling unit by driving each joint actuator, a detector for detecting the state of operation implementation by the operation controller, and a recording unit for recording a log including the behavioral schedule by the behavior scheduling unit and the state of operation implementation by the detector.
The controlling apparatus for a robot according to the present invention further includes a user input unit for receiving a command or data from the user, and a dialog management unit for supervising the dialog with the user based on the user input command or data from the user input unit. The behavior scheduling unit may set a behavioral schedule in accordance with the contents of the dialog in the dialog management unit, while the recording unit may take a log of the dialog contents.
The controlling apparatus for a robot according to according to the present invention may further include a self-diagnosis unit for diagnosing each part of the robot. The recording unit may take the log of the results of the self-diagnosis.
The controlling apparatus for a robot according to the present invention may further include a user authentication unit for authenticating a user lying in the vicinity of the robot. The recording unit may take a log of the results of user authentication.
The behavior scheduling unit may be operable in accordance with a first operating system of setting a behavioral schedule based on a dialog with the user or in accordance with a second operating system of setting a behavioral schedule based on a feeling model as determined responsive to external changes. In such case, the recording unit taking a log of an operating system in the behavior scheduling unit.
The robot according to the present invention, is able to search an arbitrary working space routlessly, as a legged mobile robot does. This working space can be co-owned with the living space of the human being. This robot is able to set a behavioral schedule by dialog with the user based on audio or image input or to set a behavioral schedule autonomously without recourse to the user input.
The robot of the present invention is able to authenticate a user who issues a command to the robot, or to extract the face, voice or other biological features of the user who cannot be authenticated. Moreover, the contents of the command issued by the user, the behavior taken by the robot responsive to the command and the time of implementation of the behavior can be combined together and recorded as a sort of the log. The inner state of the robot or the sensor input information can also be recorded together.
The contents of the log can be analyzed later to investigate into the cause of abnormalities, malfunctions or troubles in which the robot is involved.
The history of the robot""s actions, such as xe2x80x9cwhat is the action the robot did, when and with whom such action was donexe2x80x9d, can be searched even during the time other than the time of the abnormalities, malfunctions or troubles. Alternatively, the history of the acts of the robot can be supervised as the empirical information so that the information on xe2x80x9cwhat is the action the robot did, when and with whom such action was donexe2x80x9d can be extracted from the dialog between the user and the robot. Such robot is highly entertainment-oriented. In addition, the user can enjoy a sort of an inculcation simulation with the sense of a game.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from reading the embodiments of the present invention as shown in the drawings.